


Listen to the Wind Blow, Down Comes the Night

by Ollikah



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24005539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ollikah/pseuds/Ollikah
Summary: Rex lay on the ground, staring up at the stars. It seemed like a dream. A horrible dream.(Post S7 Ep12. Contains slight spoilers for the end, if you haven't already seen it.)(May branch in AU territory because after all they went through in that final episode I find it difficult to believe they would separate quickly.)
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 30
Kudos: 257





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My heart's still somewhere on the floor near my laptop, if I can find it and glue it back together we'll see if I add to this tale. Short and sweet. It has been a very long time since I've written anything other than a resume, so bear with me while I figure it out.

Rex lay on the ground, staring up at the stars. It seemed like a dream. A horrible dream.

The ache in his shoulder told him otherwise. 

They didn’t even know where on the moon they were, didn’t much care either. At the moment, the only thought in their heads had been ‘as far from here as possible by tonight’. 

As for where ‘here’ had been, well, he didn’t really want to think about that too much. Too many memories buried in the ground. 

Ahsoka’s right off to his left, sprawled out in silence. He can’t even remember the last words they said, few and far between though they had been. They’re both still processing the last 24 hours. 

“Hey kid” Ahsoka’s head tilts, just ever so slightly, towards him. “Got any more ideas in that head of yours?” 

“Like?”

“Like ‘where should we go’ or ‘we’d be safe here’. Y’know, like a next move or something” he swings his gaze back to the stars 

“Someone has to know a cruiser went down here, and if they start coming we’d better have a plan”

Ahsoka barely shakes her head, if he wasn’t so close he might have missed it. 

“Not the core, that I know for sure” she brings her hands up to her face “And nowhere the Republic or Separatist were fighting, there’d be cruisers everywhere” 

“I’m gonna have to teach you to shoot, littl’un” 

“Wha-”

“No buts, you left your ‘saber behind and we can’t have any flashy force-work giving us up” He turns to give her his best ‘big brother’ stare.

“…”

“Just enough to toss you a blaster without worrying you’ll shoot yourself in the foot, ok?”

“Ok, but just because you offered so nicely”

It’s the closest to humour they’ve been in a day, and in the face of everything that feels like a small victory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan, as it turns out, is simple. Drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to add to this for as long as I feel I can, I'm finding the writing process is cathartic.

The plan, as it turns out, is simple. Drive. 

With no functioning hyperdrive for the ship, that’s limited their options severely. The one part of the plan they both agreed on was to stay together for the moment. 

Neither particularly liked the idea of going it alone. 

There was a brief tussle over the direction of their travel, but in the end Ahsoka’s logic of ‘larger city, more ships’ won over his ‘smaller city, less crowd’ angle. 

There was also the little problem of fuel levels, putting the larger city comfortably in reach. The Y-wing wasn’t exactly a long-haul ride. 

Ahsoka was piloting this time around, he’d woken up to his shoulder screaming in protest over the prolonged rough treatment of the previous day. The separated nature of the seating gave a person a lot of time alone with their thoughts, Rex wasn’t really sure he appreciated it at the moment.

It had been so much, too much, all in a short time. It was like after Teth all over again. So many brother’s gone. In a way, they had been gone before the crash. Jesse, who had fought and survived Umbara, would have never called him anything other than ‘Captain’, ‘sir’ or his name. 

Didn’t make it any easier, regardless.

“Hey Rex?”

Ahsoka’s voice pulls him out.

“Yeah?”

“How’s your shoulder? Should we stop and change that patch?” 

He could do it himself, up here, but he knows she knows that. 

“Sure, kid, let’s do that” He flinches when he moves his legs “I’m all pins and needles up here, I wouldn’t mind a lap or two ‘round the ship”

He feels the Y-Wing slow beneath him, she sets it down by a small outcropping of white rock. Seems to be all the moon is made of. At least they’ll have a bit of shade for this rest. 

He’d left the plates off from the first time they’d bandaged him up, pauldron needed repairs anyways. Getting the top of his blacks off was a chore, he didn’t even bother keeping the grimace from his face. 

They work in silence, passing things back and forth. Ahsoka decides the silence is deafening and flips on the holonet from the ship’s console. It’s a miracle they even get a signal out here. 

They’re not even really listening to it until the anchor says something about a funeral service for the senator from Naboo.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn’t have to teach her to shoot, she already knows.

He doesn’t have to teach her to shoot, she already knows. 

They’ve set up a handful of rocks and have made a game of trying to out-do each other. It’s a small distraction from digesting the news from the Holonet. 

Padme’s funeral. Imperial rule. 

It’s a blow. The Republic they’d both been fighting for is gone with one announcement met with thunderous applause. 

Bang  
Bang  
Bang

Rocks fly off the outcropping. Kid’s a sharpshooter, but those Jedi reflexes work for a lot more than fancy sword flourishes.

“Beat you” she says, but it carries far less of the playful tone of just days ago. 

“Some things never change” he concedes, more sincerely than before. 

She’s quiet for a moment, turning the blaster in her hands. 

“Y’know what I want when we get into town?” she asks “A shower. A real water one”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, hot water if we can swing it” she turns and there’s a small quirk in the corner of her mouth. 

“Oh now you’re dreaming big” He returns it. 

They fall into a comfortable silence on the short trek over to the ship. He forgets his shoulder until he reaches up to pull himself up and accepts her slight assist in the force without comment. 

“Bet the hot water’d feel pretty good on that”

“Let’s get to town first before our hot water dreams are dashed”

It’s a process, but as long as they have each other…family, they’ll make it through.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was not only hot water, but a tub/shower in the room.

There was not only hot water, but a tub/shower in the room. 

‘Small mercies’, the galaxy seems to say. 

The Y-Wing sells for a tidy sum and they decide that walking to the opposite side of town to grab a room is the best idea. 

If anyone comes asking who sold the fighter, at least they’re not right next door. 

They buy some plain clothing, plus a bag or two to keep theirs in. They’re too obvious to wear, but too…much a part of them to get rid of anything yet. 

They also find a small ship for sale. It’s not much, but it’s got a living space and small quarters, it’ll do for getting from point A to point B, whatever those are. Combining the leftover funds from the y-wing, plus the remains of the credits Padme had given her (and oh, it hurts to think of Padme) are just enough. 

They take turns in the shower, the last of the dirt circles the drain and it feels a little easier to go on. The tub is filled, and turns are also taken just sitting back in the warmth in silence. 

Weapons are cleaned, put nearby and blankets negotiated.

Sleep doesn’t come easy, but at least they’re not exposed anymore and there’s a locked door between the outside world and them. It’s the closest to safety they’ve been.

One small token of joy, had been the message from Master Obi-Wan. 

It was just a recording, but it brought a little hope that he had survived the order and has been able to go into hiding. Again, small mercies. 

Sleep isn’t easy, it comes and goes with every strange noise outside the small room. 

He’s grateful for the bed’s position in the middle of the wall, so neither feels trapped against a wall when they inevitably wake from some horrible dream.

Only two days later, barely enough time to even think of their next move, their relative peace is shattered by common thugs after a bounty. 

Them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All it takes is one moment. One moment and one shot.

All it takes is one moment. One moment and one shot.

He’s been wearing his armour for too long, too used to having the plates between himself and the outside world. 

He’s forgotten that some are stowed in the bag, on the ship they’ve bought. 

So when he twists his body to let the shot he can't fully dodge glance off of the plate that’s not there, he feels it tear across his left side. 

He can’t help the cry of pain, losing his momentum and tumbling to the ground. 

“REX!” 

Ahsoka doubles back to drag him back to his feet 

“C’mon, Rex, not far now! We can get there!”

“Yessir!” slips out before he can stop himself. 

They’d been in town for only a few days, laid low, they’d had no idea how quickly the Empire had circulated bounties for all remaining Jedi. 

Rumours of the Venator wreck had spread quickly and it had not gone un-noticed that a Y-Wing had been sold. 

He cursed under his breath, following Ahsoka’s lead into a skinny alley opening. They duck behind a crate, and turn to watch the opening. Just in time to see the three thugs run right past it. 

Good, they’d been far enough ahead. They were really lucky they hadn’t had puck on them, less precise tracking is working in their favour at the moment. 

“Lemme see, Rex, is it bad?” her voice cuts through. 

He lifts his hand, hissing a bit. 

“Well, I think it’s missed the important stuff, but it hurts like hell” 

He notices some of the fabric is melted onto the skin. That’ll be fun when they get to the ship. 

She flinches, sympathetic. 

“Think you can make the final stretch to the ship?”

“Don’t see another choice, ‘Soka.”

“Good, we’re close, I’ll open the ramp and you get up to the cockpit and get things started.” 

“And you?”

“I’ll bring up the rear, right behind you”

“I’ll hold you to that, little’un” 

He staggers to his feet, resting his forearms on the nearby crate. He can’t quite straighten up, it was a harder hit than he cared to admit. 

“Rookie mistake” he sighs “What the fek was I thinking?”

“You weren’t, you just reacted Rex. It happens to all of us”

“Let’s hope it’s not the last I ever make” 

She spins around to face him. 

“Don’t even say that” 

It’s a mad dash to the ship, but they make it ahead of ones after them. 

He takes a knee at the top of the ramp, his side is screaming, but presses on up to the pilot’s seat and starts flipping switches and bringing the ship online. 

Ahsoka swaps in and they’re away and headed for the stars. 

He lets his head fall back against the headrest, neither dares to look at the moon in the viewscreen, just waiting until the familiar sight of hyperspace fills the void.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They spend a few months bouncing around the outer rim, never on any particular planet for very long.

They spend a few months bouncing around the outer rim, never on any particular planet for very long. 

Now, Tatooine looms large in the viewport. Ahsoka can’t shake the feeling that there’s something down there. Almost calling to her. 

Rex agrees that they need supplies, fuel and it’s a likely place where people that hadn’t really had much to do with the Republic would very unlikely have anything to do with the Empire just yet. 

They hope, anyway.

Plus, the general turnover rate for a place like Tatooine was so high that two people in a banged up old shuttle shouldn’t take much notice, even if one of them had a ‘popular’ face. 

After a brief debate over Mos Eisley vs Mos Espa, they settled on Mos Eisley. More likely to have all of the things they were looking for and more general bustle to lose a tail in. 

A proper “hive of scum and villainy” as Master Kenobi might’ve said, if he were present to comment. 

—

It’s just as hot and dusty as Ahsoka remembers, all right.

“Makes me miss my environmental seals” Rex comments beside her.

“Y’know, I was always jealous of you guys and your fancy built in A/C” 

“Say, did we pack the sunblock?” 

She smacks his arm and they both dissolve into giggles.

The market isn’t horribly crowded, so they decide to indulge in a greasy breakfast, which makes her miss Dex’s Diner terribly. Hopefully the marketplace will pick up and they’ll have more of a crowd to get lost in. 

Still, she can’t help feeling that ‘someone’s near’ feeling that prickles at the back of her neck. 

Rex hasn’t moved or signalled anything since they sat down, he’s facing the door and cantina at large. 

“What’s up, ‘Soka?”

“Hm?”

“You keep ticking your head like you’re listening for something.”  
She stuffs in a couple more fries while she thinks about how to word it.

“Just a feeling…something…familiar” 

Rex quirks a brow, and glances at the clientele 

“But not bad familiar?”

“No no, not in a bad way”

“Well, if that changes, we bang out. I don’t care what kind of scene we make.”

“Oh I’m with you there, Rexter”

Rex is taking a swig of his caf, and nearly spits it out across the table, eyes wide as a mudhorn’s backside. 

It would have been hilarious if they weren’t currently trying to avoid surprises, and on the run. 

“Holy fek” he whispers

“What?! Rex, what is it?”

“I…I think that Cody’s general just waltzed in” he dared not say the name ‘Kenobi’, it went around a lot during the war. 

“Wha-” 

Rex nudges her boot under the table. 

“No, don’t turn, besides the hood is up” 

He thinks for a moment. 

“We’ll make sure we walk out right past him, if that is him.”

That’s a scene they definitely don’t want going down in a crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hello, yes! I haven't abandoned my fic, I promise!
> 
> I went back to work last week and I was absolutely exhausted every day and just had no drive to write, but I sat down today and made my way through this chapter so I could post it! 
> 
> I have a bit of a story web planned out, so hopefully I'm a bit more organized and I can get the writing flowing. :D
> 
> Thank you so much to all that have dropped by, I'm really glad that people are enjoying this! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mere months, could feel either long or short. Right now, these were some of the longest months in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s life.

Mere months, could feel either long or short. Right now, these were some of the longest months in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s life.

So much had changed in a split second. Troopers he had fought beside, turned. Jedi across the galaxy, dead. A brother, a cherished friend, fallen. 

Obi-wan…No, Ben. He had to remember to call himself Ben. Ben Kenobi was beginning to believe that the galaxy had something against him.

And then he looked across a dark, dusty bar on Tatooine and saw blue-tipped montrals.

It was so unbelievable to him that he didn’t believe it, went right back to his drink. Until the man across the table made an unmistakable hand gesture; “re-group ahead”. He’d seen it many times throughout the Clone Wars. 

But where was ahead? Ah yes, the shipyard at the end of the lane. It had to be. 

Another sign, three fingers up, docking bay 3 then. 

It was only after that sign that Ben really took a moment to reach out with the force, tentatively, to read the emotions of the two. He was guarding far too important a secret to allow himself to me taken in by some kind of Imperial trick. 

It was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. Thank the force, his grand-padawan had survived. 

—

Rex and Ahsoka slipped out into the dusty street.

“Are you sure he saw? Are you sure it’s him?” Ahsoka is almost desperate for hope. 

“ ‘Soka, I’m sure he saw because he nearly dropped his glass when you said he was poking at your ‘force presence’ ” he assured her in a hushed voice. “It has to be him, who could pretend to be him? And out here?”

They try their best not to look like they’re rushing towards bay 3.

It’s devoid of other life-forms, manned by droids. A blessing in this case, still, they head inside their small ship. Privacy will be necessary.

—

Ben nearly races up the last few feet of ramp, stumbling on the hem of his robe and there they are. Ahsoka and ah, it was Captain Rex. Of course it was. Who else?

There are tears and hugs and Ben has never been so grateful to hold on to someone in his life. 

“Oh Ahsoka, I was afraid I would never see you” He brushes his eyes with his sleeve.

“Master Kenobi! We saw your message but I was so afraid you might be caught!” 

Rex is cautious in the background, not knowing how much he might now about chips.

“You couldn’t do it then, Captain?” Obi-wan’s expression is hard to read. 

“Actually sir…we’d better start the story from the order.” His eyes fall to the floor “ Because I did follow 66, until Ahsoka saved me from it.”

“What?”

“Let’s close the ramp, Master, we don’t want any unfriendly ears hearing this.” Ahsoka tucks herself under his arm. “We’ll tell you everything we know”.

—

Chips. The chips meant to ‘control aggression’. They had been thrown right in-front of them, and they had missed it. 

The Dark side had clouded much indeed.

“I didn’t want to believe that Cody could, without any hesitation…” he begins.

“It’s impossible to fight for long” Rex interjects, albeit almost a whisper. It’s still too fresh in his mind to offer much more. 

“I was luckier than some” Ahsoka says “I had droids that could help me. And a clue” She manages a smile in the Captain’s direction, which is returned. 

They don’t dwell on the other possibilities. 

Ben’s heart is heavy over the loss of Jesse and the other men aboard. He had worked with the 501st almost as much as his own men. 

“So what happens now?” Ahsoka asks “Do we stick together?”

“I must stay here” Ben tells her “I have something I must protect” She should know, he thinks, she deserves to. “Young Luke Skywalker will need watching over” 

Both Rex and Ahsoka nearly fall out of their chairs. 

“Now I knew they were lovers, but a kid?!” 

“Wait wait wait, what?”

“That is why I can’t leave, I can’t take the risk that the Empire might find him here”

“I have to ask, why leave the Skywalker name attached?” Rex asks “Might as well put a neon sign on the kid’s back.”

“That’s where the planet itself comes in handy” he explains “Skywalker is a somewhat common name here on Tatooine…and news of the war exceedingly less so”

“Obi-Wan. I have to ask…” Ahsoka begins 

“Ah, yes. I knew you would.” Ben sighs. His eyes seem far away. 

“Anakin fell with the Order. I’m so sorry Ahsoka, I had hoped for better news myself” It’s the truth…from a certain point of view. A mercy, he hopes she might understand if she ever discovers it.

Rex hangs his head, a hand on her shoulder.

“We had a feeling, Master. I stopped being able to find him in the force, but it was so chaotic in those first weeks, I hoped I was just not getting through”

“I know, young one” he reaches to take her hand “So did I”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, sorry this one has been so much later than the others. Working full-time again has been like somebody hopped on a speeder and ran my shebs over! I haven't had the energy (or the inspiration) to write in a while, but I pulled up my socks and sat down tonight to get this out there! <3 
> 
> Thank you so much for being here with me, I've been so delighted that you've been enjoying it! 
> 
> -Ollie


End file.
